


Breathe.

by oviparous



Series: How to save a life [2]
Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 19:34:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14479680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oviparous/pseuds/oviparous
Summary: And they finally can love and live.





	1. The Land of Wa

**Author's Note:**

> This might not make a lot of sense if you haven't read the previous part in the series, so I suggest you go read that one first. Oh, and sorry for the relationship spoilers in the tags in this one. It was very important to me not to reveal it in the first part, though I had tried to ready everyone about it by writing that there was going to be a surprise relationship in the notes.

The streets: belts of cobble and clay, meandering through the jungled city, the numbers on their signs scoring every repose of weary pedlars as they made their way to a hopefully-better somewhere. The land, as usual, was hot; earth steamed under the soles of feet, beasts of burden carried heavy jugs of water for their masters in the plantations, and wild birds sought relief in high ground, their beaks open, panting away the heat.

Half-naked children ran about the estates playing their games or hunting small animals for food; the ones for whom school was in session looked woefully out the windows of their classrooms in envy of their friends, though their pining soon faded in favour of the air-conditioning that powered on minutes before the first bell rang.

This was the Land of Wa. Resting on a thinner bit of the planet’s crust, it was one of the hottest places in the Third Realm. Most of the Third Realm relied on artificial sources of heat since it had no real suns—the light in the sky came from dozens of surrounding planets, which didn’t actually give off light. Instead, they reflected it off stars and galaxies, and that light in turn illuminated the Third Realm. From Wa, one could see with their naked eye several of their galactic neighbours: the planet that looked like a dusty rice ball, the planet that disappeared sometimes because it took on the colour of its system, and the planet that looked like a crystal, its surface gleaming and bevelled. The Crystal Planet was the closest one to the Third Realm, and there was a myth about how there was bad magic between it and the Third Realm that had them originate the practice of what the Third Realmers called ‘snatching’.

The Crystal Planet had built invisible pathways in and out of the Third Realm, accessible only to bearers of their magic, people that appeared when the lands of the Third Realm were dark. They always looked like people the Third Realmers once knew, though before they attacked they would transform into creatures—unholy creatures with snouts and fangs—that attacked Third Realmers before snatching them away, and if they were ever seen again, they were the creatures, too.

The snatchers weren't invincible; they were cursed by silver, the substance singeing fur and scorching skin when they came into contact with it. Everyone in the Third Realm had taken to carrying a silver weapon around to defend themselves. They were successful in repelling the snatchers most of the time, but there were instances where Third Realmers died after being bitten, even when the snatcher was vanquished. The healers said it was probably some sort of infection, though no one could say for sure since the cause wasn’t heavily researched; there was already greater turmoil in the Third Realm, bigger problems to worry about. There were too many clans and too little unity for them to fight the snatchers, what more dedicate resources to remedy any damage they had caused.

The Third Realm lacked a central government, and clans were always finding some reason to go to war, the most common of which was the claiming of another clan’s territory. The Land of Wa was a good example of this: because Wa had its own heat, its land was constantly coveted, and its occupants—a confederation of the Chiba, Noh, Yayoi and Sakura clans—were in a permanent state of war with foreign clans.

“The four clans of Wa speak a common language and have similar customs, which was why we decided to stop warring with each other and share the land while protecting it against external forces,” said the teacher, Mashiba-sensei, scratching chalk on the blackboard. “Can anyone tell me when this happened?”

History class was always soporific for Aiba. He was 15 and more interested in learning how to spar than learning about what happened when in the past, and as his eyelids drooped he felt thankful that he was sitting right at the back of the classroom. He tried his best to pretend to listen, nodding slowly even though he had no idea what Mashiba was saying.

He was startled awake by the sharp clap that came from the row across his when Suzuki Ryohei smacked his hands together in a triumphant gesture before raising one of them to answer their teacher’s question.

“Suzuki-kun,” Mashiba called.

Suzuki looked at the teacher, face smug, announcing: “It happened in the year 4700, on the seventeenth day of the Minazuki. The Treaty of Peace was signed then.”

“Excellent, Suzuki-kun.”

Suzuki swivelled his head to where Aiba was sitting. “I remembered because seventeenth of the Minazuki is your birthday,” he said loudly, and Aiba leant back, palms in the air as a disclaimer, realising Suzuki wasn’t talking to him, but to his best friend Nino, who sat beside him.

To Mashiba’s chagrin the class erupted into hoots and calls at the blatant flirting, and Nino seemed to have frozen in his chair, his ears flaming red. Aiba bit down on a taunt—Nino was in close range and delivered a decent punch; Aiba didn’t want to ache so early in the school day. They had four more periods together.

“We kissed from opposite sides of a fucking piece of cling wrap,” Nino snapped. “Hardly anything to write home about!”

“Ninomiya-kun, _language_ ,” warned Mashiba. Nino slid forwards on the desk, angled his chin on his crossed arms, and sulked. Mashiba called everyone to attention with threats of detention. The class settled down, and Aiba turned to Nino.

“He’s asked you out a bunch of times, why don’t you just say yes?” whispered Aiba, tilting his head Suzuki’s way.

“I don’t want to be that cliche who goes out with the boy he fake-kissed as a forfeit,” argued Nino through gritted teeth.

“Do you like him, though?”

“Don’t know. Don’t want to talk about it. Shut up and listen to how we became a confederation.” Nino nodded towards the front of the classroom, where Mashiba was drawing a flowchart.

“The Clan of Joruri was wiped out because the Clan of Bizen let the enemies through, and unity promised the rest of us living here the best chances of survival, blah blah blah. Tell me something I don’t already know.” Aiba rolled his eyes. “Come on, Nino. Do you like Suzuki? Because if you do, you should go for it. We only have a couple of years before we leave school and get conscripted. This is your youth, bro.”

Nino met Aiba’s eyes. “It’s precisely because I know I’m going to be a warrior that I don’t want to entertain any of this. No romance, no feelings, no attachment. It’s easier this way.”

Aiba stared. “How about me?”

“How about you what?”

Aiba sighed, looking down at his textbook. “Never mind,” he muttered. Mashiba’s voice filled the ensuing pause, talking about the main resources shared by the Land of Wa: water, geothermal energy, and would anyone care to name the third one?

“I know what you’re getting at,” Nino finally said, his voice low. “You’re my best friend, Aiba-kun. That ranks you just after my loyalty to the clan. It ranks you above my parents, above my siblings, and any lovers or spouses I would have someday. Is that what you want to hear?”

Aiba grinned. “So you _do_ know how I feel about you. You’re my best friend too. I want you to be happy.”

“I’m fucking happy. Shut up about it, yeah?”

“Are you sure, though?”

Nino groaned and poked Aiba’s side to weaken him before grabbing Aiba’s elbow, flinging his hand up.

“Aiba-kun?” Mashiba raised her eyebrows. “I’m surprised you’re volunteering to answer, but okay. Go ahead.”

Aiba went stock-still, horrified. He had no idea what the question was, and the entire class was now staring at him.

“I need one more main resource shared by the clans living in Wa,” prompted Mashiba after a moment of silence. She looked at Nino pointedly, figuring out he’d put Aiba up to it.

“I, uh…” Aiba gulped. ‘Main resource’ meant something important that was accessible to all the four clans, right?

“Warriors,” said Aiba, shooting Mashiba a nervous glance.

Mashiba cocked her head before nodding slowly. “I was thinking ‘manpower’, but ‘warriors’ is indeed a synonym in this context. Not a bad answer. Nicely done.” She spun on her heel to face the blackboard once more.

Aiba breathed a sigh of relief before glaring at Nino. “I’m gonna pay you back for that,” muttered Aiba under his breath.

“Seeing that we might have to save each other’s asses in the future, I suggest you let it go.”

“The classroom isn’t the battlefield, Nino.”

“Yeah, but you never know when you’ll need me.” Nino gave one of his most maddening grins. “You never know.”


	2. Best Time

The strikes were underway, across all 180 regions of the DTP. Trains weren’t moving, factories were empty, and on both facets every shop was closed. Those who cared for the cause marched on the streets, crowding outside government buildings, protesting with signs and calling for change. Screens all over the country were showing live footage of the revolutionists who had made it to Hellas, campaigning in front of the Crystallis, united in their cause; concerned citizens stood in their community pentagons, gazing up at the screens, waiting to see what happened next. Would there be a sudden eruption of violence? Would the Sovereign show her face? Would a leader rise to challenge the regime, since the opportunity to start a new one had arrived? 

It seemed like a terrible time to focus their energies on something other than the revolution, but now that all the right people were in power and their job was done, Jun and Sho had retreated to the house where Jun and his parents used to live, to finally talk about their decision to leave the DTP for Nino.

Nino was very much alive, corresponding with them every fortnight thanks to Colony members in the cause helping to pass on messages to the Third Realmers they’d befriended. There were governmental reforms in the Third Realm as well, reforms that were impacted by the political activity in the DTP. Aiba and Nino, with their positions in their clan and the confederation they belonged to, were important figures in these reforms, and they appreciated any first-hand information that came from the DTP. So yes, Nino was still in their lives, but they weren’t actually communicating with him about issues of a more personal nature, issues that Jun and Sho had decided to discuss at a ‘more suitable time’.

Now was the more suitable time.

“It’s been three years,” Sho began, facing Jun across the dining table, and Jun’s heart sped. The last time they’d talked about this was the night Nino and Aiba had vanished down the manhole. They’d then buried it, putting grander plans first. Now that the DTP was moving towards a future that included families, Jun and Sho couldn’t ignore the possibility of them being one, but Jun had a feeling Sho wanted more.

“I still feel the same about going,” said Sho, looking into Jun’s eyes. “‘Only if it’s with you.’”

Jun nodded and reached across the table to take Sho’s hand. “That’s fundamental.”

There was a pause. They both knew what was up next on the agenda.

“Nino,” said Jun, squeezing Sho’s hand a little tighter. “You want him too.”

When it came to romantic attraction and sexuality, Sho was an open book for Jun. There was no surprise there—Jun had been the one to unlock Sho’s inhibitions, the one to ‘kindle the fire in his loins’, as Ohno had once joked, though it was, probably, the aptest expression. Jun knew Sho the way nobody else did, knew his touches and smiles and choice of words, and Jun knew Sho had been attracted to Nino from the day they’d travelled to look for Ohno. There’d been something about the way Sho had looked at Nino on the train. It’d been obvious in the rhythm of his breathing, the look in his eyes.

The fact was, Jun liked Nino too. He’d liked Nino _first_ , years before Sho had ever met Nino. Jun hadn’t acted on his feelings the way he’d done with Sho, because he loved Sho with a ferocity that happened with nobody else, but he did love Nino. There was no denying that. And if Jun had been reading things right, it was very possible Nino might have liked him back.

Sho hadn’t known Nino for long at all, but it’d been enough for him to pine. Jun had noticed the moment Nino and Aiba left their world for good—Sho’s sadness had been pronounced in the corners of his mouth, the crease in his brow, and the way he’d made love to Jun that night. It made Jun’s heart ache for Sho, eclipsing any jealousy that had risen from Sho loving another man, for the very fact that Jun knew how it felt like to love Nino, and how it felt to miss him. He mustered enough courage to ask Sho about it, and confessed his own feelings; after an enlightening talk about all the ways humans could love, they both concluded that love didn’t have to be something for just two people when there was room for more.

Sho gave a sad chuckle. “Not that it matters.”

“Why?” asked Jun, keeping his voice gentle. “You’ve been in touch these couple of years. He’s asked specifically about you.”

“It’s probably perfunctory, niceties mixed into a professional letter,” said Sho, shaking his head. “He can’t possibly see me that way. We spent less than a week together. Technically, he barely knows me.”

“Give him some credit,” urged Jun. “Nino isn’t a superficial person.”

“What are you saying, Jun?” Sho rubbed his fingers against his stubble, releasing a tired sigh. “You don’t know if he likes me.”

“Doesn’t matter. I just want you to be happy, and if you being happy involves Nino accepting your feelings, I want that to happen.”

There was the scrape of a chair and a tug on Jun’s shirt, and Sho was kissing him, kissing him, kissing him. Jun threaded his fingers in Sho’s hair, pressing his tongue against the silk of Sho’s mouth. It felt familiar and good, and deeply comforting.

“We can’t just show up at his door and say ‘hey Nino we’ve got something to tell you’ and expect him to reciprocate,” said Sho finally, when they paused for breath. “We need a better plan.”

“There is no better plan,” said Jun, nuzzling a spot under Sho’s ear. “That’s the plan right there.”

“He might say no.”

“Of course. That’s always a possibility.”

“Or he might only want one of us.”

“No deal.” Jun laughed. “It’s two or zero.”

“Or heartbreak.” Sho snorted.

“But I’ll be there to mend whatever Nino breaks,” said Jun, earning himself a hug and a kiss to the side of his neck.

“Maybe I’d change my mind about him once I’m there. After I _really_ get to know him. I might find out everything you’ve told me about him is false, he’s a pretentious dick, and regret ever longing for him in the first place.”

“Sure, I’ll let you believe that.”

They dissolved into laughter, sharing a few more kisses, and Jun couldn’t help but admire the man in his arms because of how he’d changed. This was the man who’d made an argument about how they were not to start a relationship because they were gods and were supposed to ‘lead by example to preserve their unblemished and righteous selves’—but three years on he’d become a true believer of the idea that love came in many forms, and that romance was a natural, beautiful thing. It took a very courageous man, Jun fathomed, to make such a radical change within himself.

When Jun first met Sho, he hadn’t ventured past the ideals he’d been raised with because he didn’t know the truth was out there, but once he had it figured out it was full-speed ahead. He’d really stepped up, quietly but ardently working to identify patients and doctors who were likely to commit to the cause, eventually also winning over the people in his dorm, which led to the revolution being rooted in several hospitals. Ohno’s editor at the publishing house, Matsuoka, had also been a great contributor to their success—he’d been waiting for a revolution for the longest time, and had spent most of his life setting up the infrastructure needed to connect every organisation across the DTP that was passionate to stop the hunting of the Third Realmers and rectify the glaring problems of their society. Within a year, Yamato activists were making country-wide headlines for their organised protests and peaceful demonstrations, galvanising those in other regions to follow suit. And Sho had been a big part of making all that happen.

“I’m so proud of you,” said Jun, pressing his forehead to Sho’s.

“And I you.” Sho took Jun’s shoulders and gently pushed him back, looking very serious. “If we go—we’re going to sacrifice our immortality, Jun. This is it. No turning back.”

Jun nodded. He held Sho’s gaze, then cracked a smile.

“So when do we leave?”


	3. Bridge

“I never thought my life would pan out this way,” said Ohno, crouching to watch the bubbles fizz in his glass of beer. “When I was a kid, it was all about studying medicine. When I grew up, it was about producing results and performing procedures. When I escaped the ministry, it was about doing everything I could to avoid going back again. At every point in my life I would think about how all of it was going to go on forever, and it made living a stupidly pointless effort.” Ohno shook his head. “It’s crazy to think that now, even looking at a glass of beer go flat is fascinating to me in its ephemerality.” Ohno turned to look Toma in the eyes. “I’m going to die someday, Toma.”

Toma grinned, raising his glass to Ohno. “To your health, Ambassador.”

Ohno returned the toast and sipped quietly, still thinking about how this all felt like a dream. There was a bridge between the DTP and the Third Realm now. Everybody could come and go as they pleased, choose to be immortal or not. The Colony members weren’t recruiting anymore: hunting was officially banned, and vaccines were offered to those who wished to revert to being human, though they had to pass a screening and evaluation process. Nobody had to go through that awful baptism to receive the magic seal or whatever it was the High Priests called ingesting a potion that altered a person’s genetic makeup. There weren’t even High Priests anymore—the ones who had defected had contributed greatly to the Reformation, sharing their knowledge and science to improve the lives of the people, achieving equality for citizens on both facets; and the priests who had sided with the ex-government agents who wanted things to be as they were had been put on trial, since there were new laws now. Laws that Ohno had helped to come up with. Ohno tried to wrap his head around it. Him, a lawmaker. Wow.

It felt like a dream.

“How long has it been since you officially left the DTP?” asked Toma. “Five years?”

“Four, actually,” answered Ohno, putting down the glass.

“Ah,” nodded Toma, “right, you left two years after Matsumoto-sensei and Sakurai-sensei did. I keep thinking it’s one. How are they, by the way?”

“Busy, as usual. You know they’re basically running the country, right?”

“They have a baby, don’t they? With Ninomiya-san?”

“Yeah. A boy, few months old. And they all live in Aiba-chan’s house, so you can imagine the mayhem.”

Toma laughed. “I’ve always wondered what it’s like to have a family.”

“You could get one of your own,” Ohno pointed out. “That’s why we got the rules changed, remember?”

Toma laughed at the understatement. “Nah,” he gave a wave of his hand, “it’s not my calling. I’m already committed to changing the world. I don’t think I have room for any other type of commitment.”

Ohno shrugged. “Maybe the world is your family, then.”

Toma grinned at Ohno before refilling Ohno’s glass. “Glad to have you in my family, Ambassador.”


	4. Naughty

Sho had been in Wa for two months, and he still wasn’t used to the heat. He’d gotten used to the food pretty quickly, and the language was more or less the same, but no temperature ever seemed cool enough for his DTP-born-and-raised self. He’d taken to walking around naked at home, not that Jun minded.

That said, he was barely at home. _They_ were barely at home. Aiba had approached Sho and Jun in their first _hour_ in the Third Realm, apologising for his lack of consideration but stressing the urgency of the matter at hand: peace treaties had been signed in various places across the Third Realm and talks of unification were underway, and Aiba wanted Sho and Jun to be part of the committee that represented the four clans of Wa. Oh, and he also wanted them to take up leadership positions in Wa within the next 10 years, if it was not too much to ask. He knew his abilities and only wanted to be Chiba’s clan chief, but Sho and Jun definitely had the potential to climb higher up the ladder. He’d drawn up a proposal, if they would care to have a look.

Sho had a soft spot for Aiba and couldn’t say no. Aiba had been Sho’s patient, after all, and they’d become friends through all the correspondence over the past few years. Jun, on the other hand, was more anxious to start healing people than to immediately become a politician, but Aiba had said the Third Realm’s casualty rate had plummeted since hunting was banned in the DTP; the ‘snatching’ had had a far greater effect on the Third Realm than its people had realised. There was less stress on economies because workers didn’t suddenly disappear, and less wars were initiated because societies were more content. It’d taken merely eight months for the changes in DTP to impact the Third Realm. Things were looking up.

“Come in,” said Sho, looking towards the door as he heard a knock. The blinds were drawn, so Sho didn’t know who was coming into the office. He was lying on his back on the floor of the room Aiba had given him, adjacent to Jun’s and opposite Nino’s. They’d been planning all morning for that big conference in Dalipan, where confederations in their region would come together and decide who would become a country with whom, simply put, and Sho was trying to sort out some ideas in his head for his presentation with Jun. They were in charge of designing a healthcare system, and there was still a lot to figure out.

“Sho-chan, you have a sofa to nap on,” said Nino as he entered the office, gesturing towards the sofa in the corner.

“Nope. Ceramic is a better conductor of heat,” said Sho, drumming his fingertips against the tiles. “I’m good here.”

Nino stared at Sho for a beat. “Such a nerd,” he grumbled, walking over to where Sho was. “Get up, I need you to look this through.” Nino waved a folder in Sho’s face. “It’s important, talks about your future here.”

Right. Nino was the guy who planned their duties, this was his job, Sho had no place being a hindrance. He reluctantly got to his feet and settled himself into his chair before taking the folder from Nino. It was a brief, and bore a rather unconventional title.

“‘How to get into Nino’s pants’,” Sho read aloud, before snapping the folder shut. “Is this a joke?”

Nino had already made himself comfortable in the chair opposite Sho’s desk, all draped arms and folded knees. He gave a mystifying smile. “Do you want it to be?”

Sho let his mouth hang open a while longer before he gulped and said:

“No?”

Nino laughed and scooted the chair over to Sho’s side of the desk, and suddenly he was arm-to-arm with Sho, bumping the back of his chair against the edge of Sho’s desk. Sho remained in his spot, though he did swivel his head to look at Nino, before getting uncomfortable at the proximity and turning back, red-faced.

Nino laughed again. “So… I had a talk with Jun-kun. He said something about you chickening out about something you guys had agreed on before you came? Something that involved asking me about… something?”

Sho groaned, knowing Nino’s look of puzzlement was a charade. “I didn’t _chicken out_ , I said we should wait a year!”

“Yeah, to see if you were truly in love with me.” Nino rolled his eyes. “Come on, Sho-chan. You’re in love with me. Even the cafeteria staff have noticed.”

Sho was horrified. “Says who?”

“Says the cafeteria staff, duh.” Nino sighed. “Listen—people are only concerned because they think you’re cheating on Jun-kun and all that, and that makes me uncomfortable and Aiba-kun upset, because he thinks it could damage morale, so why not make it official?”

“Make what official?” A rush of anticipation coursed through Sho, though there was also dread at it all being a complete disappointment. Nino was mercurial when he wanted to be. Sho suspected it’d been a quality that had predated Nino’s stint as a werewolf.

Nino was hoarding his response. “Open the folder,” he said finally, still sporting that stupid, handsome smirk of his.

Sho did as he was told, and quickly scanned the document. It wasn’t anything too serious, mostly favours and a couple of sentences describing certain acts that Sho wasn’t sure should’ve been printed off the office printer, but at the bottom he saw that there was a box with the title ‘Approved By’, and Jun had already signed it.

“That fucker,” mumbled Sho.

“I’m not proposing marriage or anything,” said Nino airily, waving a hand before letting it land gently on the side of Sho’s neck, “and don’t be upset with Jun-kun about coming to me first, he just really cares for you. And me. And us.” Nino leant across his armrest to put his face right beside Sho’s, smiling as he said:

“The three of us.”

Sho licked his lips. He knew what Nino was saying, and at this point, found it very hard to be cross with Jun. It was weird, thinking about the way Jun loved in a moment like this, when he was about to make a move on another man, but it really made a lot of sense. There was no other who knew Sho better than Jun, and no other who loved Sho more. Sho trusted Jun with his own happiness; it was Jun who knew exactly what Sho’s happiness entailed.

“Have you kissed him?” Sho found himself asking, when Nino touched his fingertips to Sho's jaw. “I won’t be jealous,” he hastily added, “I’m just wondering.”

“Well, he wanted you to go first,” said Nino, laughing as he tipped his head back and edged forward.

“Wait,” Sho put a hand on Nino’s chest, halting him. “Are you—you’re okay with this? You’re not being pressured into it or anything?”

Nino rubbed his palm down his face, hiding his mouth behind his bent fingers. “Jun-kun warned me about this.” He sighed. “Said you needed a history for proof and everything.”

“Yeah.”

“Nerd,” scolded Nino.

“Sorry.” Sho took a deep breath. “Do you really like us? It has to be us, just so you know.”

“‘Two or zero’, yeah, I know. You and Jun-kun are a package.” Nino shook his head, a snort escaping him, though Sho found his laughter encouraging. “I knew you two were together the day he introduced us, so I know what I'm in for. Don't you worry."

Sho raised his eyebrows. “We weren’t _that_ obvious.”

“Not to the untrained eye.” Nino shrugged. “He called you ‘Sho-san’. You called him ‘Jun’.”

“ _That_ gave it away?” exclaimed Sho.

“Pretty much. There was also that bit when you guys fell asleep on each other on the train.”

“Damn it. I thought we’d gotten away with that one.”

“You wish. But mostly it was because we were doing some majorly illegal stuff, and I could see how Jun-kun trusted you. He trusted you more than he trusted Oguri and Nakamura, which was really saying something.”

Sho pondered over this. That tallied up. Jun was really close to his roommates, and Nino must have had plenty of chances to observe them, what with him belonging to their community. Conversely, it probably had taken a lot to keep what had happened from them; Nino had been in a position to witness that too.

“I was from the Colony, so it wasn’t like I ever had the chance of successfully romancing a doctor from the human facet,” Nino went on, “so I didn’t let my feelings for Jun-kun get the better of me, but when Aiba-kun got bitten and the both of you just threw yourself into the whole thing, completely investing yourselves in mission that could’ve cost you everything…” Nino lowered his eyes, reminiscing. “It didn’t take long for me to realise I admired the both of you. But it was only after I came back that I realised I didn’t only like Jun. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten our snuggle time in Ohno-san’s cottage?”

Sho could feel his face turning hot as he remembered how naked Nino had been. “You can’t call it that. We were trying to save you. And don’t tell me you actually remember; you’d been mostly unconscious.”

“Yeah, _mostly_ ,” said Nino wickedly. “I was still aware of what was going on. I know I liked you in there with me, and I’m not just talking about how you shared your body heat. Oh wait—maybe I am…”

“You called me ‘Sho-kun’,” said Sho softly, remembering. “You’d been such a grouch, no thanks to the retrograde and the stress of the situation, and suddenly you lost all of your edge and called me by my name.”

“Aw.” Nino grinned. “How touching.”

Sho crossed his arms on his desk, levelling his face with Nino’s. Nino’s gaze didn’t waver; it was as impish and insolent as it’d been the moment he’d handed Sho the folder.

“You really want to do this?” asked Sho, inching forward, stopping just short of Nino’s lips.

“Bring it,” said Nino, remaining exactly where he was.

Sho relented, closing his mouth upon Nino’s, and he let Nino tug the front of his shirt, meeting Nino’s pull by pushing against the back of Nino’s neck. They kissed until they were breathless, fingers tracking through hair and hands roaming skin, and Sho only felt like having more when they pulled apart.

“Okay, now that that’s done,” said Nino, reaching for a pen and uncapping it, “you can sign here.” He pointed to the box at the bottom of the document.

Grinning, Sho took the pen, let his gaze linger on Nino a moment longer, and flung the pen aside. “I don’t have to sign anything to get into your pants,” said Sho simply, reaching for Nino’s belt buckle as he swooped in for another kiss.

“Are you really going to desecrate this office?” asked Nino against Sho’s lips, which made Sho snort.

“I’ve desecrated hospital libraries. This is child’s play.”

“The library?” Nino broke away from Sho, gaping in amazement. “You fiend.”

“Wasn’t the only fiend.” Sho smirked.

They looked at each other for a second, hitting upon the same thing.

“Want to see if Jun-kun’s in his office?” asked Nino, swivelling in his seat.

Sho slid his chair out from under his desk, ready to run. “Race you there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...So I basically timestamped a couple of things! I don't know if there's going to be more of this universe, but I'm going to work on other stuff from now on, so if the inspiration strikes, I guess!
> 
> My intention from the beginning was to create two fictional worlds, the DTP and the Third Realm. The Third Realm does have some similarities with this world you and I live in, but it's also really, really different. I actually loosely based the DTP on North Korea, and the Third Realm on a bunch of countries in Africa.
> 
> Also, I'm not a political science, sociology, history, geography or economics major, so all the government/political stuff that appears in this fic which doesn't make sense to people familiar with these topics? I SINCERELY APOLOGISE.


End file.
